Capitol rioter who propped feet on Pelosi’s desk in photo sentenced to over 4 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Arkansas man who propped his toes on a desk in then-Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s workplace in a extensively circulated photograph from the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Wednesday to greater than 4 years in jail.

Richard “Bigo” Barnett grew to become one of many faces of the Jan. 6 riot by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, and U.S. District Decide Christopher Cooper mentioned in asserting that sentence that Barnett appeared at occasions to benefit from the notoriety.

“All the oldsters who observe ‘Bigo’ must know the actions of Jan. 6 can’t be repeated with out some critical repercussions,” Cooper mentioned, alluding to the media consideration and social media following Barnett attracted after the riot.

The 54-month sentence for Barnett, a retired firefighter from Gravette, Arkansas, comes after he was convicted at trial on eight counts, together with felony prices of civil dysfunction and obstruction of an official continuing, on this case a Jan. 6, 2021, session of Congress to certify Joe Biden’s victory over Trump within the 2020 presidential election.

The photographs of Barnett lounging at a desk in Pelosi’s workplace made him one of the vital memorable figures from the riot. Barnett, 63, testified he was “going with the circulation” and struck a pose after information photographers instructed him to “act pure.”

He instructed the choose that becoming a member of the riot was “an enigma my life” that he regretted, however mentioned prosecutors wished him to be “remorseful for issues I didn’t do.”

“Jan. 6 was a traumatic dey for everybody, not simply legislation enforcement,” he mentioned. He has vowed to attraction his conviction. He testified at trial that he was swept together with the gang into the Capitol, and was in search of a rest room when he unwittingly entered Pelosi’s workplace and encountered two information photographers.

Cooper, although, mentioned he didn’t consider Barnett performed such a passive function.

It was established at trial that Barnett introduced into the Capitol a stun gun with spikes, hid inside a collapsible strolling stick. Barnett additionally took a chunk of Pelosi’s mail and left behind a word that mentioned, “Nancy, Bigo was right here,” punctuating the message with a sexist expletive.

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Earlier than leaving Capitol grounds, Barnett used a bullhorn to offer a speech to the gang, shouting, “We took again our home, and I took Nancy Pelosi’s workplace!” in keeping with prosecutors.

Prosecutors additionally mentioned Barnett has since posted “falsehoods” on social media about Jan. 6 and downplaying his function. “The defendant nonetheless believes he can say or do no matter he desires and if another person is threatened by it, that’s their drawback,” prosecutor Alison Prout mentioned.

Protection legal professional Jonathan Gross mentioned Barnett did not harm anybody or injury property, and was being singled out as a result of the photograph had made him well-known.

“Mr. Barnett shouldn’t be punished as a result of the federal government thinks he is an emblem,” he mentioned.

Cooper’s sentence fell in need of the roughly seven years prosecutors sought, although it was greater than protection attorneys’ request for a 12-month time period.

Greater than 1,000 folks have been charged with federal crimes associated to the Capitol riot. Simply over 500 of them have been sentenced. Greater than half have obtained jail phrases starting from every week to over 14 years.

Additionally sentenced Wednesday was Robert Morss of Glenshaw, Pennsylvania. He bought greater than 5 years in jail after being convicted on three counts. Prosecutors say Morss wearing fatigues and tried to take a baton from an officer, in addition to shields, whereas working to arrange members of the gang to push previous Capitol guards.